Radical ideas regarding Donbas have been losing popularity in Russia in the past 18 months: the percentage of those who believe that Russia should recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics has dipped from 29% in January 2015 to 23% now, the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) said.
Meanwhile, the number of Russians who prefer their country to stay neutral in the question of status of those republics has grown from 28% to 38%. The sociologists polled 1,600 respondents in 130 populated localities in 46 regions on August 13-14.
Fourteen percent propose affiliation of the DPR and the LPR with Russia; the indicator stood at 16% in January 2015. Eight percent stand for helping the DPR and the LPR expand their autonomous status within Ukraine (12% in the earlier period). Only 3% of respondents support the Kyiv authorities in the conflict.
The number of respondents who think that Russia should continue to send humanitarian convoys to Donbas has reduced from 78% in October 2014 to 64% at present. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said this should not be done (previously 15%).
Yet the problem of Ukrainian refugees remains topical. The same as two years ago, two-thirds of respondents (65%) said there were refugees in their home city, and 26% claimed there were lots of them.
